Alumnus Paul Erwin named dean of UAB School of Public Health
May 22, 2018
Dr. Paul Campbell Erwin
Paul Campbell Erwin, MD, MPH, DrPH, 2009 alumnus of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has been selected as dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health. Erwin, who will begin in that position on Aug. 1, currently is professor and head of the University of Tennessee (UT) at Knoxville Department of Public Health.
“I’ve been very impressed by Paul Erwin’s leadership,” said Barbara K. Rimer, DrPH, dean and Alumni Distinguished Professor at the Gillings School. “Increasingly rare is his strong connection to public health departments. This will be an invaluable perspective as he moves to become dean at the UAB School of Public Health.”
Erwin earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of the South (Sewanne), a medical degree from the UAB School of Medicine, a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and a Doctor of Public Health in public health executive leadership through the UNC Gillings School’s Department of Health Policy and Management.
Certified in internal medicine, public health and preventive medicine, he is a leader in establishing formal academic health department collaboratives with public health practice partners.
His research interests include evidence-based public health and health disparities, particularly in rural areas. Prior to joining the UT faculty, he was director of the East Tennessee Regional Health Office for the state Department of Public Health, overseeing 15 county health departments, most in Appalachia. He is an associate editor of the American Journal of Public Health and a member of the editorial boards for Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba Review and the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.
Erwin said he is particularly interested in the great potential to help people through his new role.
“The position of dean is the opportunity to bring all of my life’s experiences and knowledge in both public health practice and academia to the highest level, for the ultimate purpose of improving the health of populations,” he said.
UAB is an internationally renowned research university and academic medical center and the state of Alabama’s largest employer, with some 23,000 employees and an economic impact on the state exceeding $7 billion annually.
Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: sphcomm@listserv.unc.edu
